


House of Memories

by xvivon



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Blood and Violence, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Flashbacks, Fuck Ra’s Al Ghul, Gen, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Homesickness, Hurt Damian Wayne, One Shot, She tries, Whumptober 2020, no beta we die like jason todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xvivon/pseuds/xvivon
Summary: We built this house on memories.
Relationships: Mara al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Ra's al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	House of Memories

**Author's Note:**

> A fic that was supposed to be for [whumptober 2020](https://whumptober-2020.tumblr.com/) day seven, but couldn’t do because of school and shit...so yeah.
> 
> Enjoy!

When Damian was told he’d be facing the league again, he almost laughed. He didn’t think Bruce would put him through that again.

_He thought wrong._

He was dropped off sometime around noon, the second he was aware of his mission, he wanted to turn around. He can’t do this.

_It’d been years since he’d last seen this place._

He thought his feet would never touch the ground here again, that he’d never feel the hot sun on his back as he stares at this structure.

_Once again, he was wrong._

Because here he is, his feet hitting the hot sand, while he’s staring at his childhood home.

_Nanda Parbat._

He’s still questioning why his father sent him here. An odd test? Some kind of cruel joke? He doesn’t know, he only knows Bruce sent him coordinates that seemed familiar and well...

_Here he is._

He doesn’t have time for this, he should be going in, completing his mission, and getting out. He walks into an entrance, one he’s walked through so many times before. One that leads to awful memories that he thought he had locked away in the recesses of his mind.

_He hates when those memories resurface._

Tightening his grip on his sword, he continues on through the base.

He first passes through the training area, an area that caused him and others so much suffering from ruthless tutors. The base is abandoned, but there are still weapons and resources left untouched. Swords, guns, pieces of amour, almost all of things that came to mind are in place. He already misses the manor.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

The blood of his opponent dripped onto the solid ground. The man was losing much to his chagrin, and losing to a four year old at that. He screamed as Damian’s sleek sword made contact with his flesh, cutting through his skin.

The man begged, begged for his miserable life, as if he hadn’t done the same to some other poor soul the day before. He pleaded with a toddler not to kill him right then and there - but Damian didn’t understand.

He didn’t fully grasp what was so wrong about his actions. He knew it was an odd way of handling things but never had he thought that this man would never breathe again, never see again, never feel again.

Damian paused, listening to the man’s pitiful words that he called a compromise.

Ra’s narrowed his eyes, “Well, are you going to do it? Finish him, kill him!” His commanding voice cut through the mist of death that clouded around Damian.

He looked to his cousin, registering her malicious smirk as she took joy in watching him get yelled at. He looked to Ravi, his mentor, his trainer. Only to see the man was looking to the side, avoiding eye contact at all costs. He looked to his mother, seeking comfort in her gaze. She gave a defeated look, before shutting her jade eyes. Finally, Damian looked back to the man. The one begging at his feet.

“Please, please don’t kill me. I’ll give you whatever you want. You win! Isn’t that what you want!? I- I’ll...”

_Damian doesn’t let him finish his sentence._

His sword cuts through the air, piercing the man’s heart. The man falls over, the life drained from his eyes, bleeding out.

Ra’s smirks at the sight, the old man is insane - enjoying watching toddlers fight to the death, fight for their lives, fight against older and highly trained soldiers.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

Damian shook his head, trying to get those awful memories to stop flooding in.

His father said to find some old files, scan through the computers, see if there’s anything worth looking into. Bruce had a feeling the league was up to no good, and if there was a chance that anything important was stored in that base, it was worth looking for.

After his interest in the training area was lost - partially due to the awful flashbacks that kept appearing in his mind - trailed into the next unpleasant yet important room. Strolling through the large hallway that connected to his, Mara’s, and his mother’s chambers, he decided to check each of them.

_Starting with his own._

The last time Damian had seen this room he had been in a frenzy. Rushing to get his belongings packed, adrenaline pumping, so excited to meet his father for the first time. And it looked the same as he had left it, clean and orderly apart from some clothes strewn about that past him had torn from his closet.

The first object that caught his attention was an old sketchbook of his. He must have been five or six the last time he used it.

Flipping through the pages, he cringed. The images weren’t by any means bad, in fact they were above average for an adult - and he was six when he did them - but he could clearly see he’s improved over the years, improved a lot.

He set the book down before continuing on with his search.

There didn’t seem to be many things left, he took most of it with him when he went with father. He still remembers that day, it’s a difficult one to forget.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

“Damian my son, we have to go. Come with me.” His mother’s voice woke him.

“What’s wrong mama? What’s going on?” He was so confused. He hadn’t done anything wrong as far as he remembered.

“I can’t explain now, there’s no time. Gather your things, you won’t be back here for a while.”

“Me? Don’t you mean us?” Was she just going to leave him in some foreign place? Was she done with him?

“My guards and I will escort you there, but then you will have to stay until I come to retrieve you.”

“When will that be?” She was done with him wasn’t she...

“When it’s safe.”

He was quickly going through his favorite clothes, grabbed some art supplies, a photo or two that he kept, before shoving them into a bag. She grabbed his hand, quickly leading him out of the base, out of their home.

“Mama where are we going?”

“Gotham City. We’re going to meet your father.”

His eyes lit up at that, he idolized the man with the bat ears. From the stories Talia told him, the man seemed a god. He could do no wrong in Damian’s eyes. That man would surely keep them- him, safe.

He heard Ra’s strong voice booming throughout the area, they picked up the pace.

They hopped into their vehicle, before flying off.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

That wasn’t the worst memory to resurface, though it’s far from his favorite. He was so naive to hold his father at that level. A man that could do not wrong? What was he thinking, his father has made plenty of mistakes.

He exited his childhood bedroom, choosing to enter his mother’s. Everything about the place screamed Talia, it was her room of course. It smelled of jasmine and comfort. He always used to rush in here during storms, nightmares, anything really. And she would always comfort him, be that with a bedtime story, or just holding him close.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

_**CRACK.** _

Loud thunder with paired lightning flashes across the rumbling sky. It was the middle of the night when he woke up to a storm. It worried the child, Damian didn’t really have much experience with storms, he was only three.

It barely registered in his mind that it was just thunder and not an attack on the base.

The pillow he covered his ears with and the blanket he hid under wasn’t enough anymore, he was scared and alone. Running to his mother’s room, seeking comfort, his small hands shook her awake.

“Mama! Mama wake up!”

She instantly was aware of her surroundings, it was their nature to do so, how they were trained. Her eyes opened, “Yes, my heart?”

More loud thunder cracked across the dark sky.

Talia’s brows furrowed, she was confused as what was so distressing to him. It was only a storm, some background noise while sleeping. But the tears rolling down his face made her reconsider.

“What is that and why is it so loud?” He pouted, pointing up to the sky.

Ah. So it was the storm.

“Nothing to worry about my heart, everything is fine. Go back to sleep.”

That didn’t calm him much, the thought of going back to his lonely room during the storm. “But, but-”

“You can stay here,” She pulled him close, perhaps this would comfort him.

It did, he drifted off to sleep in her arms.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

That was a good memory, he let a small smile show on his face. But he can’t be getting distracted. He came here to complete a mission, not to reminisce on thunderstorms. He walks into the final room in that hallway.

_Mara’s._

He never really went in there, he and his cousin were always in competitive terms, and despite his curiosity, he never really had the desire to go in there. Well, that’s too bad, because right now he has to.

Upon entering, he instantly wants to turn around. There’s an uncomfortable feeling that clouds the room. One that...reminds him of Mara. He wasn’t on the best terms with her, she always saw him as a threat to “her right as an Al Ghul”. Kind of how he saw Drake in the beginning.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

It was a hot day, and Damian had some free time before he had to get back to training. Figuring he’d use this time to improve his art skills, he reached for his sketchbook. Only to find it wasn’t there. No big deal, he must’ve put it down somewhere and forgot. He’ll just look for it, ask if anyone’s seen it, simple

He passes his cousin in one of the long halls.

“Hey Mara have you seen-”

“Get away from me, you imprudent toddler.”

“But-”

“No.” She said, as she stormed off.

He was only asking if she had seen his sketchbook, he doesn’t remember where he put it. But he should be used to this by now, it’s not like he really cares about her behavior. Because he doesn’t. Her constant hatred of him doesn’t bother him at all.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

He stops that memory in its tracks, not wanting it to continue. It once again, isn’t the worst one, but certainly not the best. Besides, he’s just wasting time. There’s nothing in Mara’s room, he should go. He strolls out of that hallway, and into another. One that leads to what he’s been looking for.

_The league database._

He walks in, powers up the computers, and is illuminated by blue light. The searched through every file he sees. But nothing, there’s nothing on it. He searches again, certainly he didn’t come here for nothing.

_There’s one file that sticks out to him._

He opens it, waiting for some big discovery. He’ll be able to show he’s not useless, he infiltrated an...empty league base by himself. But he found something important! Right? The file loads, it’s a small document. One that reads...

_‘Watch your back cousin.’_

He wastes no time getting out of there, it’s not safe. He runs through the hallways he used to play in, he runs as fast as he can, like he life depends on it.

_And maybe it does._

He wasn’t productive, only reliving things he would rather have kept stored in the crevices of his mind. If he makes it out of this hell, that would be enough.

_In this house of memories._

**Author's Note:**

> Teehee I only got one day of Whumptober done and gave up huh. Well school really has been bad lately- oh well. Also this has a lot of italics and is rushed and bad pacing and yeah...hjshjshjhjs. I wrote it instead if sleeping, so it’s pretty bad. Oh well, it needed to get done, there’s only a little bit of time before October is over. Time sure flies lol. Imma go get some sleep now, but wow I didn’t realize this was almost 2k woah- Anyways, here’s your reminder to go drink some water. And have a great morning/afternoon/night
> 
> bbbbyyyyyyeeeeeeeee!!!!
> 
> Go bother me on tumblr - [xvivon](https://xvivon.tumblr.com/)


End file.
